Hoplopteryx

Hoplopterx; Temporal range: Cretaceous
	Hoplopteryx specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Beryciformes
Family:	Trachichthyidae
Genus:	Hoplopteryx; Agassiz (1839)
Species
	Hoplopteryx antiquus; Hoplopteryx dakotaensis; Hoplopteryx lewesiensis; Hoplopteryx simus; Hoplopteryx spinulosus;

Hoplopteryx is an extinct genus of Trachichthyidae from the Cretaceous.

Biology

Hoplopteryx has a dorsal fin supported by nine unjointed, bony rays, deeply forked, homocercal tail, a moderately developed anal fin, and a pelvic fin located well forward. The snout is quite short, the eyes fairly large, and both jaws of the upturned mouth hold small teeth.

Habitat

Hoplopteryx was a marine fish, living in shallow chalk seas.

Size

Hoplopteryx was at a typical length 27 cm.

Sources

Fossils (Smithsonian Handbooks) by David Ward (Page 219)
Grandstaff, Barbara S.; Parris, David C. (2016). "A new species of Hoplopteryx from the Carlile Formation (Cretaceous) of South Dakota". Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science. 95: 73–84.